50th Annual Schmekfest

Everyone told me that I would be overwhelmed by Schmekfest, by the way the gym was transformed and the way that so many came together to make it happen. They weren't lying. This Friday (March 27th) was the 50th annual Schmekfest. The gym was decorated in quilts and along the far wall were several displays and silent auction items. Over 800 people came to eat the German food, enjoy each other, and participate in the auctions, bake sales, etc. It was an amazing sight. 

The biggest thing that influenced me wasn't the amount of people who came or how different the gym looked. It was how so many community people all came together, everyone assigned a job, and served together because they love the school and want to invest in this community. It was INCREDIBLE!!! The people of Lustre really, really care about these students and this school and about serving Jesus. It is incredible.

I wish I had pictures from the night. I and the kids were busy with the jobs we had been given. We have good memories of it though. It was a busy, great time.

The next day was the first track meet in Glasgow. Nevin, Mawin, Etien, Alek, and Joyce are participating in track this year. It was great to hear them come back and share their stories! While they were at the meet, most of the rest of us helped clean up from Schmekfest in the morning. The cleaning went quickly as several came to help. The rest of the day was spent relaxing. 

Katie and Chen playing Janga. They were getting into it!

One evening this past week, a few
of us made s'mores by roasting
marshmallows over the stove. :)
Fun memory.

Nevin, Mawin, and Etien just hanging. :) 

A typical sight around here . . .
some wifi loving. 

As for other important news, yesterday was Joyce's 17th birthday! 

Happy, happy birthday, dear Joyce!

Ooh, you are such a treasure! Your laugh and smile bright up a room. You were so quiet when you made your home here at the beginning of the school year, but now, your laugh and funny sense of humor speak so loudly and joyously here. You are hilarious and courageous and smart and so full of life. I love who you are. Your positive attitude speaks volumes to those around you. You are so beautiful!

The verse I gave to you was this one: 

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11ESV

My prayer for you is that you learn more and more the joy offered in the presence of God. You have felt His presence, and you know it. You believe it. Keep following Him, Joyce. He is worth everything. Jesus is worth everything. I am so grateful for you!

Raw Talents

Drama crew

A few weeks ago, LCHS drama class presented a play "Trial by Error", a play so captivating that left the audience in awe of the talents LCHS students possess. The costumes and the actual presentation was aesthetically coordinated which kept the audience entertained throughout the night. Several of our dorm students were in the play and I thought their individual roles represented some of their persona. 

Jacques is an individual of few words so his character was Romoni Brown, a grumpy gypsy who never said much but groan and moan at others. Alek's was sheriff Tex Masterson, the law man who kept the town in order. His character was sometimes funny, serious, talkative and had a rather peculiar accent. Serena played Slick Parker,  a dumb potbelly man -  so maybe not all the  characters personified the students who played them. The other dorm students in the play were Silas, Maya, and Aleyna and they acted their roles exceptionally well.

Ramoni Brown (Jacques), and Sheriff (Alek)

A few students from LCHS attended the REACH program, an event organized for students who are interested in careers in the medical field. They students met different people who work in the medical field like Nurses, Radiologist, Lab Technicians, Therapist and so forth. The students also got hands on experience like  strep throat testing.

Serena, Geneva and Nevin

Serena pretending to be a doctor

Nevin checking the heart rate of his patient

Learning how to check strep throats

Her first time in an Ambulance.

Future Surgeon Nevin

A Lab Technician teaching the students how to... (oops! I forgot)

Aleyna aka. Shorty # II celebrated her birthday last week. Aleyna is a Sophomore at LCHS and she has being a blessing in the dorm. She is short, a Colotexan, (a word I created to mean from Colorado and Texas), and funny especially when she does abs workout. The dorm wishes you a happy birthday and God's blessing in your life.

Birthday girl - Aleyna

Fiona, Silas's sister was able to visit for a short while during her Spring break. Fiona graduated LCHS last year and now attends the University of Iowa where she studies nursing. Good luck with your feature endeavors and come visit again.

Silas excited he is taller than his big sister

Upcoming events

• Mar 21 - Senior Class Pizza Dinner at LCHS 5 - 7:30 pm
• Mar 27 - Schmeckfest and no school
• Mar 30 - Happy birthday Joyce
• April (2-6) - Easter Break

For Memory's Sake

It's March. Those two words have some gravity to them. It's sunny outside, and I think (I hope?) the end of March might offer the possibility of spring. smile. We've almost seen two whole seasons through in this dorm, autumn and winter, along with all those seasons brought with them (the dislocated knee, the broken leg, Brett Norman's tragic death, kids leaving the dorm, along with a lot of really good memories scrunched in between these very difficult ones).

I am feeling that yucky apprehension that this year will end, and it will end much sooner than I'd like.  Some of the seniors are sensing that too. Serena recently pleaded (in trying to convince me to do something like go to town on a Monday or to let the girls sleep in the girls gathering room on a Saturday night or something like that . . . ha!), "Danae! But we got to make some memories!!!!" :) And memories we must make. I know no better way to make the most of a season than to create some fun memories, so we're sure trying over here. I think we're succeeding. :)

My sister Briana came to visit the dorm two weeks ago (oh, it was the best to have her!!!), and she and I taught the kids how to catch whipped cream in their mouths. Memories have to be made somehow. It was HILARIOUS! I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I do!

On Saturday, the girls took a trip to town. Maya wasn't feeling well, so she stayed back. It wasn't the same without her. I missed her!

We did some errands and then spent some time at The Worx coffee shop, sipping something yummy and doing homework. It was so fun!

L-R: Serena, Joyce, Aleyna, and Katie
We may live in the middle of nowhere, but that doesn't mean we
don't like to pretend we're still sorta civilized! ;) ;)
Yay for coffee shops!

We went to Soma Dis Deli too for an early dinner and ended the evening with some Bergie's homemade ice cream. It was a blast!

L-R: Serena, Katie, Danae, Joyce, Aleyna
Photo Credits: Serena

L-R: Joyce, Aleyna, Serena, and Katie

After we got back, the girls spent time hanging together and laughing like goofs. I'm not sure there's much better than a group of people really enjoying each other and enjoying life. They're so much fun. :) I love that we're from all over the globe, but we can still make tight knit friendships. We're all born in God's image, and that image comes plainly through, no matter where we were born or what type of lifestyle we came from. I love seeing it reflected in my kids. It is so stunning. 

Serena, Joyce, Aleyna, Katie
Look at those smiles!!! LOVE!!!
Photo Credit: Serena

The guys ended up going to Wolf Point to watch basketball divisionals and hang out with each other. Maybe Ibrahim will have more on that sometime. :)

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, Jerry and Susan Fast invited the girls over for Sunday dinner. It was such a fun time! We ate some delicious food and played some fun games. We played Spoons and Memory even. :) It really is refreshing to be in community homes and to interact with these incredibly big-hearted people here. We are so blessed. 

The memories are being made, and I'm hoping for many, many more within these quick moving last weeks. Thanks again for following along! Please continue to pray for us as Jesus brings us to mind. Here's a few ways you can pray:

• Pray for the seniors as they think about their futures, that God would lead them and prepare them for what's to come while enabling them to finish strong and invested. 
• Pray for our kids too as it's really tough for them to be so far away from home. They all do pretty well with it, but I can tell many of them miss their families very much, and some of them won't be going home this summer. Please pray for comfort for them. They're so brave!  
• Pray for health within the dorm as it's still cold and flu season.
• Pray for wisdom for the dorm committee and us staff as we try to figure out plans for next year and what that will look like. 
• Pray that we would all come to know Jesus more and more, that we would all accept Him as Leader and Lord in our lives. 

Thank you so much for standing with us. It makes a big difference!

Super Bowl Party and Such

These kids make me laugh so hard!
I enjoy them so much. :)
This is Chen stacking a snack
in his mouth!

Again, my sincere apologies for the delayed update. Sometimes, I get so caught up in living these moments that it takes me time to remember to blog about them! I'm so grateful for this space to catch the memories and hold on to them. Thank you for letting us share them with you.

A couple Mondays back, we warmed up for devotions with a game of Catch Phrase. These kids are so competitive. It's fun to see them interact with each other while they're playing games and see the energy level rise in the room. :) After the game, I read 1 Corinthians 12:21-26, a passage that talks about how in a group of believers, all are important, and when one person hurts, we all do. When we're a healthy, tight knit community, all are affected by one person's pain. We talked a little about Silas and how his pain not only affected him but the rest on the bench. We're a unit. We stick together. After that, the kids wrote notes to him, and we took some time praying for him.

Thank you to all of you who prayed for Silas. He seems to be doing well and recovering well. He has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so more prayers for that would be great. Thank you so much! We have so much to be thankful for in what God has already done in healing his leg. Praise Jesus! Not something to take for granted.

Etien, Maya, and Nevin playing Catch Phrase.

That following weekend, the boys had an away game, so it was just the gals and Ibrahim home. A couple of the girls wanted to go to town, so we got in my car and went while the rest stayed with Ibrahim. We were glad to convince McKaylah to join us too. :) We had a fun time!

Serena, Joyce, Danae, McKaylah
The typical excitement of a town adventure includes visiting
Albertsons and possibly Shopko. Maybe even MacDonalds! ;)
Photo Credit: Serena!

That Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. That afternoon, after church and lunch, we headed over to Amy and Tony Fast's house for a Super Bowl party. It was so kind of them to host us with such yummy snacks and a great place to watch the game!

One of Ibrahim's passions is football, and he was all excited for the Seahawks to win. Most of us were. Jacques decided to be countercultural and root for the Patriots. Sadly, there was only one voice cheering when the game ended. Oh Jacques. :) Ibrahim is already looking forward to next year . . .

Zoned in on the Super Bowl game!

There is much more catching up to do on this blog. Coming soon hopefully. In the meantime, thanks again for caring about our lives. Sometimes just caring makes all the difference. :)

The Last Few Days of the Year

The countdown has most definitely begun. We are now down to 4 more school days, and then it's time for CHRISTMAS BREAK! I think we're all going a little crazy around here. Whether that's from our excitement or all the sugar that sweet people have been bringing our way, we may never know. ;) The past few weeks, kind hearted community members have been bringing us goodies! We've had some delicious fudge, chips and dip, coated pretzels, cookies, ice cream, and much more. I am beyond grateful for the way the community has loved our dorm family. It has made a profound difference for us!

The sugar has probably helped us survive the craziness of these last few weeks. It has definitely been busy around here. Time is flying. Last Thursday was the high school's Christmas program. Dimon played her flute in the band. She was our only band player from the dorm. The band rocked it! 

The high school choir also sang. Most of the high schoolers participate in choir, including all of those who live in the dorm. Together, they made some pretty great Christmas music.

We appreciate Mr. Butler's work in organizing the program and directing the choir and band. He does a stellar job.





On Friday night, there was a Blue White game at the school. The girls and boys basketball teams each split in half, and they played against each other (girls against girls, boys against goys) that night.  Meanwhile, there was a fundraiser Spaghetti Feed in the cafeteria. It was a special time for the community to gather together and watch the teams that they will soon be cheering hard for as the games begin.

Our Fantastic Refs: Ibrahim, Mr. Leland, and Mr. Orr

Boys Team Going Hard

Girls Team Intensity

On Saturday, the girls played their first game against Opheim, and THEY WON!!!! It was so exciting! They rocked it. We are all looking forward to watching them play and excel the rest of the season.

On Sunday, the whole dorm visited Glasgow Evangelical Church to watch their Christmas program. It was so great to watch their kids program and to remember the importance of Jesus being central in Christmas. We need those reminders in such a hectic holiday season. He is the perfect, best reason.

After the service, the kids hung out in the youth room while I went and picked up pizza and some pop. We ate lunch together in the youth room, played around a little bit, headed to a grocery store, and then back to the dorm.

Later that evening, we went to the MB Christmas program. SO.MUCH.FUN. The program was called David's Dynasty, a spoof off of the very famous Duck Dynasty. It was a riot! So much fun. You can watch the program here: http://www.highschoolcube.com/event/426001.







Amongst the extraordinary busy moments, there are precious ordinary moments too. I don't want to forget these. I don't want to forget the BEAUTY of waking up to a sunny, frosty morning in Lustre. Yes, even those early Monday mornings. There's still beauty in those. :)














I don't want to forget the gift it is to all eat together outside the school's kitchen for supper each weekday. Jean Toews is our cook, and my word, we are SPOILED ROTTEN! You should see our menus!













I don't want to forget these kids' smiles or the mornings when everything goes mostly wrong, and we laugh about it anyways. Or they laugh at me, . . . one or the other. ;) I don't want to forget that they're growing, that we're all growing and becoming through this process of together-life. We are always given the choice . . . to become better or bitter.



We definitely have our moments. Lots of moments. Even in the stressful, tense times, we're learning to be family, to connect, to grow. Sure, we all probably need this upcoming Christmas break to spend a little time away from each other, but I'm pretty confident there will be some happy reunions come January. We may be from many different parts of the globe with different thoughts on life and relationship, but we're all human, and we can still come together and grow together and seek Truth together. That's the beauty of this dorm, of this life.

We have made many memories in this past four month stretch. I am expectant to see what will meet us in this brand new upcoming year. :)


Upcoming Events:

• Wednesday
• All School Caroling
• Thursday
• Boys Basketball Game (4:30pm: JV and 6pm: Varsity)
• Friday
• Christmas Party at School
• Girls & Boys Basketball Game (6pm & 7:30pm)
• Christmas Vacation Begins! See you in the New Year!

Here is a small clip from one of the songs the choir sang during the school Christmas program. So sad for the static in the speakers in the beginning and that I cut off the recording early. :/ A good representative of our imperfect life here . . . in the midst of the imperfection, there is still incredible beauty, isn't there? Enjoy!

Catching Up: Part 3

Homemade Donuts

Even after hearing about Brett Norman's passing, the Sunday (Nov. 9th) continued on as normal, even if we weren't feeling so normal at that point. We went to church and then headed over to Wilbur and Vernelle Unrau's house for Sunday dinner to celebrate Serena's 18th birthday a little early. Even in the midst of the sadness, it was a very
special time, a joyful time to celebrate Serena's life.




Outside the Unrau's windows was snow! We got the first official snowfall of the season. (Official in that it was sticking on the ground. smile.) It was a family tradition for me (danae) growing up to make donuts as a family for the first snowfall of the year that stuck on the ground, so on Thursday, I made some dough, and Etien, Joyce, and Serena helped me cut them out with cups and a Snapple bottle. ;) We fried them up and frosted 'em over. They turned out yummy!

Serena, Joyce, and Etien
Cutting Out Some Donuts.

Lustre Snow in November!

The day before the donut day, Linette came over with bunches of things for Operation Christmas Child. The kids helped her organize the things into boxes that will be sent out to share Jesus' love to several kids around the world. What a great accomplishment, and it definitely looks like they had fun doing it, doesn't it?

Mawin and Silas being dorks. :)
Photo Credits: Linette Uchtman

The crew and their beautiful boxes!
Photo Credits: Linette Uchtman

On Friday, the whole dorm went to Ron Reddig's benefit dinner and auction in Glasgow. It was such a great time! So many came that we knew, and Ron Reddig had coached several of the guys in basketball so being there had special meaning for them. Miraculously, the dinner raised $111,665! This community is so generous. GOD is so generous. And faithful. And good. It was awesome to be a part of seeing that miracle.

That Saturday, Ibrahim and I, along with several of our kids, went back to Glasgow to Brett's funeral. It was so well done but so hard too. So much pain for those left behind. We can't forget to keep praying for that family and those close to Brett.

Thursday was a big day for the dorm! Basketball practice began. People have been waiting for that all year! :)

It was also time for Maya and Chen to give their senior chapels. They ROCKED it! Maya talked about true beauty, bravely sharing the story of her own personal search for beauty and her realization that we are all beautiful in God's eyes and in the eyes of those who love us. Beauty isn't perfection. It's being comfortable with ourselves and being loved.

Chen talked about friendship and the importance of having good friends. He also talked about the importance of trust and reliability in a friendship, that God is the truest friend who will never leave us or fail us.

I was so proud of them!

And last but certainly not least, it was SERENA'S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! :) It was so special to celebrate her. :) Her room was decorated with balloons, and there were cupcakes at school for her. Several of her basketball friends joined us for dinner, and she blew out 18 candles on top of her favorite type of cake made by the one and only Jean Toews: Angel Food Ice Cream Cake. Mmm!

Serena's 18th Birthday Cake :)
Photo Credits: Ibrahim

For devotions, we played games, but first I shared a verse for this special lady.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

    that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget,

    yet I will not forget you.

16 

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;

    your walls are continually before me."

Isaiah 49:15-16

Serena, happy birthday to you, sweet girl. I am so grateful for your life. You are energy, joy, laughter, and loyalty. You are on God's mind, and I picture God's hand covered in Indian henna . . . your name as part of His henna design. Your name always before Him. Your heart always held in His hands. Be strong in the next year. Stay close to Him. My prayer is that You always stay close, that You reject the American dream in order to experience His wide and difficult and worth-it dream for your life. I love you, sweet girl. I am so glad for your birthday. Many more, Serena!

Whew! Thanks for taking blog overload this week. I think I'm all caught up for awhile. ;) 

Catching Up: Part 2

Random Katie Fact: She LOVES brushing her teeth!
And this just happened to be a tooth brush party.
From L to R: Serena, Katie, Dimon

On Thursday, November 6th, Ron and Jerri Reddig invited the dorm over for a massive bonfire and a delicious hotdog dinner. The burn pile was MASSIVE! I have never seen anything like it! Even though the air was pretty chilly, the fire kept us plenty warm and comfortable. It was a fun evening.

That next Friday was pretty chill after the kids got back from school. Some went and played soccer in the gym. Several watched a movie afterwards. Others just hung out. I didn't sabotage the team by participating in the soccer game, but I did watch with joy. I loved watching them move and score. Their personalities showed in many ways on that gym floor. I am so grateful for these kids. I am so grateful for this quick-moving season. Someday, I won't be able to watch these same kids play soccer with their wild and vibrant personalities. Someday, we'll all be scattered again across this globe. It was a good reminder to treasure these moments.

On Saturday, several of our guys and a few girls went to the Jamboree game at the high school to watch the Lustre kids play basketball. Saturday was our last warm day; the sunshine was beautiful.

Katie painting Aleyna's nails. 

That evening, several of the kids wanted to go to town, so thanks to a kind donation by the Lewis family, we enjoyed Chinese food, and then the kids went bowling. It was a fun evening. 

Life change very quickly though. Sunday didn't begin well. We learned that a 17-year-old in the community, Brett Norman, passed away in a tragic automobile accident. While driving a stock trailer with his little brother, he missed his turn and rolled his vehicle upside down into an irrigation ditch. He sacrificially was able to get his little brother's seatbelt unbuckled and pushed him out, saving him, while he was unable to unbuckle his own belt in time. One of our girls knew him very, very well. Several of the other kids had heard of him. It was and still is very devastating news. 

These things don't make sense.

Simple answers never seem to make the pain go away.

Pastor Frank reminded us in church that suffering is to be expected. (He is so right. I need that perspective.)

It never ever feels normal though. Ever. Our souls know we were made for more than this.

The only one thing that allowed hope to seep into the pain of this tragedy is that Brett knew Jesus Christ, and He had committed to following Him in a personal relationship, to trusting Him as His Lord and Savior, and we know that He is in Heaven, being fully loved and known by God Himself.

We're hurting, but Brett is better than he has ever been. Reminds me of this song.

Because Brett sinned in his life (like we all do), his relationship with God was ruined. God is perfect, and He isn't able to stand any sin. God REFUSED to let hell be the only option for all of us humans that He loves, so He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment we deserve, the punishment needed to satisfy God's anger.

And Jesus said, "Yes."

He came here and died a horrible death (physically, emotionally, spiritually . . . holistically) that we deserved so Brett didn't have to . . . so you don't have to experience that separation from God. We all have to die, but death isn't a curse anymore. It's not the end like it is without Jesus. It doesn't mean that we're taken away from God's presence. It means we're invited INTO God's presence if we have accepted Jesus as our substitute, as our Savior. It means death is just the door into Heaven.

Have you made that decision?

This hope doesn't take away all of our pain. I'm comforted to know that Jesus is crying with us, that every tear we have cried moves Him. Even though He sees the big picture, He sees that we wouldn't want anything less for Brett if we could understand, He also allows Himself to be affected by our pain, by our confusion, by the questions. He is gentle. He is good.

More to come soon.

Catching Up: Part 1

This week may require a three-part series on all the dorm life that has been happening around here lately. It sure seems like it's been a lot. I am so sorry I didn't pull out my camera more often for more pictures. Sometimes, it's sweeter to live life through my own eyes instead of peering through the eyes of an artificial lens. I write to remember. This is such a unique, special season.

On November 2nd, the whole dorm was invited over to Meredith and Dan Reddig's house for Sunday dinner. It was so generous of them, and it does us so much good to be out of the dorm. Thank you, Dan and Meredith, for loving on us and making us feel a part of this community!

Meredith and Joyce make delicious caramel corn for us all.

Chen playing pool in Dan's
special room downstairs.

Ibrahim enjoying one of his favorite pastimes,
watching Sunday football, at the Reddig's. :)

Alek and Dimon playing an intense game in Dan's western-styled room.

Monday, November 3rd was Silas' 19th birthday! What a gift to be able to celebrate him! I am so grateful for his life and presence at the dorm. He adds so much! The morning started out fantastic as Jerry and Susan Fast (along with their kids, Megan, Nathan, and Lauren) surprised Silas by coming to the dorm and making one of his favorite breakfasts for everyone. Wow! We were all spoiled!!!! Waffles with white sauce, eggs, muffins, ETC. Silas was surprised and appreciative. (I was so appreciative too! Such a gift to not have to worry about Monday morning breakfast . . . though I may never be able to trump that breakfast in these kids' minds ever!!!! ;)

Mawin and Silas
Silas may not have been so appreciative of me taking a picture
here. Whoops. ;)

Dimon, Serena, and Joyce used their crazy creative skills to decorate cupcakes for Silas. We surprised him after lunch with them. The girls managed to decorate the cupcakes with basketball symbols, Chinese symbols, etc. They are artists!

Dimon, Joyce, and Serena with Silas' homemade cupcakes.

Later that day, Randy and Becca Reddig, plus their two sweet kids (Cam and Harlow) surprised Silas by joining him for dinner at the school where Jean Toews made the meal he had picked out as his birthday meal. It was DELICIOUS. And Silas was so surprised to see the Reddig's!

We played some games in devotions that night to enjoy each other and enjoy Silas. Before the games though, I gave Silas these verses that had popped in my head for him.

"But now thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,

    he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

    I have called you by name, you are mine.

2 

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

    and the flame shall not consume you.

3 

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

Isaiah 43:1-3a. 

Silas? My prayer for you is that you hold true to Him who called you. He is your Savior, and His love for you is vast and overwhelming. You are a leader, a brother, a friend. Continue to live into all you were created to be. I am so grateful for your part in this dorm. I am so grateful God created you the way He did. You are so loved.

More to come about these past few weeks.